


It's An Old Song

by soldmysoultofandoms



Category: Hadestown - Mitchell, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Bittersweet Ending, Emotional Hurt, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff and Angst, Galra Keith (Voltron), Help, Hunk & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Hurt Lance (Voltron), I'm Bad At Tagging, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Inspired by Hades and Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Inspired by Hadestown, Inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance (Voltron)-centric, M/M, Minor Allura/Lotor (Voltron), Musical References, Other, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Space Uncle Coran (Voltron), broganes, good friendships, klance, klangst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:29:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21934513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soldmysoultofandoms/pseuds/soldmysoultofandoms
Summary: Battle after battle, mission after mission, leads not only the paladins, but the castleship itself to start to break, and after a regrouping on Olkarion, the paladins get caught in the blowing wind, fate pulling them to the small planet of Olyxzion, where tales  familiar to the humans began to play out in front of them.What happens when, in attempts to save people trapped in a vicious story, the paladins themselves get locked in, unable to do nothing more than watch as the tale unfoldsThe road to hell always brings hard times. Winters have past, a cycle of bloodshed, loss, and most importantly, love.Will the paladins be able to change the fate of the people of Olyxzion, or will they too succumb to the song of Orpheus and Eurydice?
Relationships: Eurydice/Orpheus (Hadestown), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 23





	1. The Darkest Hour Before the Dawn

A cold, dark road, stretching infinitely underneath their feet. 

The still air of the dead, filling his lungs more and more, weighing him down.

But emptiness of his hand, aching to be filled with the warm flesh of his lover.

The lover that walked in front of him, shoulders tens and steps determined. 

His gaze dropped to his hands, clenched so tightly that the knuckles were tinged white and blue. 

The soft dirt underneath soaked their footsteps, allowing them to soundlessly march on. 

Had they even moved? How long have they been walking? 

Then it came again, the whistling wind, sending chills up his spine, blades against his skin. 

It brought noise, creaking and groaning, and once again, his lover began to speak, jumbled whispers, lulling them farther apart. 

_Doubt comes in..._

It was funny. Throughout their relationship he was always the one with doubts held in his mind, festering into dark daydreams. It was his lover that gave him the confidence and the hope to become better. 

And now here they were. No one but themselves and the gods watching as they marched. His lover anxious, fear bubbling up through every pore in his body. 

_Are you listening? I'm right here, and I will be to the end._

A faint whisper was enough to melt a bit of the coiled tension.

And they continued.

The wind whistled louder, deep and threatening through unseen cracks and crevices of the underground. 

A pinprick of light, growing bigger as they marched, and he couldn't contain the relief that ebbed through his person, heart hammering with joy. 

A look at his lover and the joy diminished, arms taut and tension as strong as ever, rapid mumbling increased as they drew closer and closer to the world above.

_I'm right behind you, and i have been all along._

They were so close, so close that he could feel the sun dancing on his fingertips as he reached out toward the light, and he felt his own chest bloom.

_The darkest hour, of the darkest night comes right before the d-_

Any warmth the light had brought him was chased out as his lover stepped into the light, cold taking its place as what felt like his blood began to freeze, breath escaping his lips and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to draw another. 

His lovers eyes stared back at him in disbelief.

He gasped for air, although he began to find his body not needing it anymore, any breaths he took for spectacle instead of necessity.

_"It's you."_

The words were soft, as if spoken to hard would break him apart, voice trembling as they flowed over his lovers lips.

He smiled, feeling the tremble of tears behind his mouth. 

_"It's me."_

His lover walked towards him, stopping just short of the caves entrance, eyes never parting from his own, searching, searching. 

Another breath in and the tears fell freely, and something began to pillar his skin, his hair, his clothes. The light was uncomfortably bright, the morning sun too much for him. The warmth only making him realize just how cold he was. He found himself wanting to step further back into the dark, back to the place they walked so far to get away from. 

His lover must have noticed something change in him, because he reached out, only to stop just short of him. Then his eyes looked down. 

A cry so broken, a heavy intake of air that sounds painful, filled with so much loss that it made his own heart ache and weep, and he realized he didn't even have to look down to see what his lover saw, to know what he knew.

He reached out as well, and their hands almost touched, a breath apart. The tears felt warm along his frigid cheek. 

"It's okay, I forgive you."

He didn't know they words spoken were his, he hadn't felt his mouth move at all, hadn't felt anything except how cold he was. 

The words did little to ease the pain of his lover, cries growing louder against the grass and flowers.

"I wanted to see you in the sun with me."

His lover whispered softly, and he wished that his lover would look up at him. Why wouldn't he look now? Was he afraid? There was nothing to be afraid of.

The worst had already happened.

"Lover..."

His lover froze at being addressed, and shakily, his gaze rose again, staring at him with a shattered expression. 

And overwhelming sadness filled him, surging through his body as I'd preparing to drown him. Holding his head up, trying not to go under, he began sob, noises wracked from a body that didn't feel like his anymore. The pain was overwhelming, the sense of loss, the feeling of a heart being ripped out and thrown on the ground. He chased his heart, desperately trying to put it back in his chest. Reaching towards the ground, he finally saw it.

His lovers feet, bathed in warm light, cradled on soft green grass. 

And his, still on dark, damp earth, shadows casting peculiar shapes over them.

The weight in his shoulders fell into his stomach, filling it with nothing but dread.

Dread and acceptance

They didn't honor the deal, didn't understand the conditions within it. And now they were to reap the consequences.

You see, the deal was that they both had to be out in the sun before they could rejoice in each other's arms.

And yet, there they were.

Keith standing in the light, and Lance, standing a mere inches away, still shrouded in the darkness of the Underworld.


	2. Overture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He probably shouldn’t have lied to Keith about it. 
> 
> After all, the whole situation was beginning to become a bit much for Lance to carry on his own. His dreams seemed...off. Where he once dreamt of home and the rain, now he dreams took a darker turn. Dark skies and earth, sound swallowed and ears rung as nothing but a shrill wind. Whispers and odd music remained in his head long after he left the comforts of his bed, tugging at his mind all day, underlying every emotion, every word he uttered.
> 
> Of course, it might just be the stress from their current situation. Lance knew from his time browsing tarot and dream apps back when he was on Earth that usually scary or ominous dreams meant he was just stressed out or he was dreading a conversation. Something simple, something easily remedied.
> 
> So maybe he was making something deeper than it probably was.
> 
> Maybe.

The first thing Lance registered was the incessant blaring of his communicator, drilling the shrill noise into his head. The next thing was that he was not snuggled in his bed, but on the hard floor, bones aching with stiffness.

Off to a terrible start, and he hadn't even opened his eyes yet.All because of that stupid, stupid dream.

Unfortunately opening his eyes didn't make his morning any better, because he very quickly realized that not only was he not in his bed, he wasn't in his room.

No, instead he was laying on the cold floor of the common room, still in his day clothes, with his jacket twisted around him as a sort of mock blanket. 

Lance stood up, tugging his clothes into what he hopes would be a less wrinkled state and rubbing the sleep away from his eyes, grumpy that he wasn't at all refreshed. He grabbed his communicator, turning off the ringing and shoving it into his pocket. 

He stumbled his way towards his room, hoping his morning facial routine would get him in better spirits.

But the bad mood lingered despite the slatherings of creams and gels to his skin, and Lance gave up any hope of getting out of this funk. 

Looking into the mirror, he poked at the eyebags that have made their debut on his face. 

It was about a phoeb ago when the castleship started having problems. Speed, defense, and then all of a sudden, it shut down. No food, no water, no oxygen. Luckily for them, Olkarion was a quintant’s travel away. So they towed the castleship using their Lions to the planet in the hopes of it getting fixed. 

They have been staying on Olkarion for about two weeks now, and everyday makes Lance more and more anxious, knowing that everyday doesn't here meant days innocents were attacked, imprisoned, or worse. And it wasn't just him, the whole team has been on edge recently. 

Allura had pulled a Zelda and visited every sacred spring or rock on Olkarion in order to enhance her powers, working tirelessly to be able to magically boost the Lions in preparation for the rest of the war. Pidge and Hunk have worked non-stop to try and fix the castle, but without any of the blueprints Coran swore he had but couldn't find, they were hitting dead ends. And Keith...well all things considered, Keith was being the most rational of them all. Since finding Shiro, things seemed to get better for him, he managed to keep his cool a lot more, and Lance even swore he saw him smile the other day. 

Shiro himself didn't seem to act any differently from his usual 'Space Dad' schtick, but then again Lance didn't hang out with him often.

Lance on the other hand, was a bit clueless on what to do. With Coran accompanying Allura on all her self-development quests, Pidge and Hunk busy, and Keith and Shiro being, well Keith and Shiro, Lance fell into a rut of not knowing what to do. Oftentimes he wandered the streets of the capital city, spending time with the citizens. Other times he spent in the castleship, now that they were docked and it was safe to go inside again. 

So basically he was useless. Per usual.

Lance scrunched his nose and shook his head, shaking the negative thoughts before leaving his room and the castleship, heading for the courtyard of the capitol building, where the team was enjoying breakfast.

"Oh hey, sleeping beauty is up." Pidge clicked her tongue, shaking her head in mock disapproval. "Do you see what time it is young man?"

Lance bowed deeply. "I am so sorry Your Highness, but I for one like to enjoy my allotted unconscious time."

"And where were you having your 'unconscious time'? I went into your room and you weren't there." Hunk asked, slatherings a piece of bread with what looked like a blackberry jam before passing it to Lance. 

"Ah, spent a little too long playing a video game on the TV in the common room. May or may not have fallen asleep." Lance took a bite of the toast to smother the lie in, mouth puckering at the acidity of the jam. "Holy shit that's sour."

"I know right, give it a second though, the aftertaste makes it all worth it."

Lance nodded, noting the bursts of sweetness that tasted like fresh mango and orange. "Nice. Alien jam is my jam."

Pidge rolled her eyes. "Very funny."

Lance winked at her, before settling down next to Hunk, sitting directly across from Keith, noticing the way the black paladin was picking at his mashed orange goop."How are you this fine morning samurai?"

Keith looked at Lance quizzically. "I'm fine?"

Lance sighed. "Keith you really need to work on your small talk, how are you ever going to get a date otherwise?"

Keith's cheeks flared red and Lance smiled, mentally capturing the image.

"Oh come on, he won't need to work that hard for a date, I know someone practically drooling over him already." Pidge said, a devious smirk on her face.

"Someone likes Keith?" Shiro asked, plopping down next to Keith. "Wow, reminds me of Julie, remember her, Keith? Had the biggest crush on you at school. You totally broke her heart."

"I didn't break her heart, I just said I didn't want to date her." 

An unexplained annoyance flared inside Lance, making his mood more sour than the jam. "Well you saved her from making the worst decision of her life. Imagine dating you."

"Yeah, imagine that Lance." Pidge snickered. 

Lance felt his cheeks grow hot, and he stood up. "I'm going to go, see you guys later." He turned around to storm off, blushing furiously at the implications Pidge was making before walking smack into a very, very hard chest. The impact forced Lance to take a few steps back, regaining his balance before rubbing his forehead, which had the hardest point of impact.

"Ow, dude, a little warning next time." Lance said, stars clerking for his view to see a very tall, very muscular man glance down at him with an unimpressed look in his gaze. "Oh uhm, I meant, sorry bud, didn't see you there...haha." Lance said nervously. 

Allura, who had been walking with the man, sighed and shook her head. "Quronz, this is Lance paladin of the red lion. 

Tall guy, Quronz, nodded. Lance nodded back, unsure of whether or not the guy liked him. Regardless, it wasn't the most important thing in the world right now. What concerned Lance was the scabbed over wounds around Quronz's wrists and neck, almost as if he'd been shackled and the cuffs rubbed against his skin so much that it bled raw. 

Allura cleared her throat, standing primly at the head of the table, the rest of the team silent in anticipation.

"Paladins, we have a new mission."

* * *

"My people have been the subject of war and decimation for hundreds of deca-phoeb at the hands of the monarch from a neighboring planet. Countless soldiers shipped off to war only to end up dead or imprisoned." 

Quronz had taken a seat at the table, glass of fresh junilar nectar (an Olkarion specialty) held tightly in his hands. The rest of the paladins had gathered around him, listening intently to his story. 

"The war lasts for twenty deca-pheobs, until the King of Olyxzion in a fit of madness and frenzy throws himself into an over the edge of the roof of his castle into an abyss. Then it's another twenty-one deca-pheobs of rest while the cycle of new life begins, and the King is reborn as a poor bard, doomed to meet the same fate over and over again."

"He's reincarnated? Why?"

Quronz settled his gaze on Pidge and bowed his head. "Green paladin, if only I had answers to give. The gods are the ones who hold the story in their hand."

"So what do you want us to do?" Keith asked, crossing his arms, looking intensely at Quronz

"I cannot let my people suffer any longer, so I ask this of you paladins, please help to stop the cycle of madness that curses our planet and the planet it originates." Quronz almost looked as if he was begging, coal-black eyes rounded and shiny with tears. It pulled at Lance's heartstrings. 

"We'll help."

The whole table turned to look at him, and it occurred to Lance that he really didn't have a say in the matter. "I mean, I want to help, but it's up to our team leader. Right, Keith?" 

Keith looked between him and Quronz, before taking a deep breath in, nodding his head. "Of course we'll help. After all, that is what Voltron is for."

Quronz smiled weakly, but the gratitude shone clear in his eyes. "We will do anything we can to assist."

Allura clapped her hands together. "Alright then paladins, let's pack necessities and then head over to the Lion’s hangar. Is two varga enough for everyone to be ready?"

A chorus of affirmative noises responded and everyone made a beeline for the castle, eager to finally have something exciting to do after weeks of building and fretting. Lance followed closely behind everyone, but stopped when he felt a light hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Keith, locking eyes directly with him, making Lance nervous under the watchful gaze. 

"Lance, we need to talk about your sleepwalking."

Lance blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Your sleepwalking. This is the third time this month that you wake up someplace other than your room."

Lance scoffed, turning away so Keith wouldn't see the flush rising to his cheeks. "I don't sleepwalk."

"Lance, I've seen you walk into rooms, dead to everything but whatever you are dreaming about. I know sleepwalking when I see it." Keith continued to push, raising his voice.

Lance sighed, crossing his arms and looking down at the ground, kicking a small pebble away from his feet. He let himself breathe a bit before looking back up at the black paladin.

"Have I said anything? While I sleepwalked I mean"

Keith didn't seem to expect Lance to calm down, given the look of surprise on his face. "Um, yeah, one time, you mumbled something about the wind?" Keith shrugged. "Does that mean anything to you?"

Lance shook his head. "No, not really. I think that's a pretty general subject."

Keith nodded, hesitating a moment, before gesturing to the castleship. "We should probably go get a move on. We should get on this mission as soon as we can." 

Lance gave Keith a small smile, nodding his head slightly. Keith returned the gesture, falling in step with Lance as they walked.

When they finally arrived at the castleship, the rest of the team had already disappeared to pack up their things, and Lance headed towards his own room, grabbing his armor and a knapsack that he had bought from another janky space mall, keeping it as a go bag of sorts. Inside was a journal which Hunk had gotten him for his last birthday, his favorite skin lotion and cleanser, his headphones, and a box of matches that had been in his jacket pocket when they were blasted off into space. Lance also grabbed his jacket from where it lay strewn on the bed, pulling it on and settling comfortably in its warmth. Lance sat at the edge of the bed with his bags, clutching them tightly against his chest as his mind wandered back to his conversation with Keith.

He probably shouldn’t have lied to Keith about it. 

After all, the whole situation was beginning to become a bit much for Lance to carry on his own. His dreams seemed...off. Where he once dreamt of home and the rain, now he dreams took a darker turn. Dark skies and earth, sound swallowed and ears rung as nothing but a shrill wind. Whispers and odd music remained in his head long after he left the comforts of his bed, tugging at his mind all day, underlying every emotion, every word he uttered. And the image of Keith standing there, looking at him with tears in his eyes, completely devastated, and dare he say, heartbroken. It wasn't something Lance ever wanted to see in real life.

Not that that ever would happen. Keith didn't like him in the slightest, never would. Lance could tell that he annoyed the black paladin more than anything, and it was just that dumb part of his brain putting these fantasy scenarios in his dreams . And of course, these dreams might just be the stress from their current situation. Lance knew from his time browsing tarot and dream apps back when he was on Earth that usually scary or ominous dreams meant he was just stressed out or he was dreading a conversation. Something simple, something easily remedied.

So maybe he was making something deeper than it probably was. 

Maybe.

Lance rubbed at his face, shaking away the thoughts before setting off to find Hunk or Coran, to hang out with them until the time for them to leave came. 

As he wandered down the halls castleship, he heard a faint noise floating down the hallway. Now, there were multiple things Lance could do. He could confront this mysterious noise, or turn a blind eye- ear? And continue on his quest to find his friends. He looked down the hallway where the noise was coming from, curiosity getting the best of him and he began to walk towards it. 

The hallway was a familiar one. If he kept going he would reach the training room, and then a little past that, the most used storage room by the paladins. Past the storage room though, Lance wasn't quite sure where the hallway led. But it seemed as though he was going to find out, as the noise wasn't coming from either the storage room or the training room, coming from deeper in the hallway. Something tugged at Lance’s gut, to go back and just mess around until they were called to leave, but another part of him was drawn to the mystery of it all. 

So he kept walking.

Eventually the noise grew louder, and it was clear that it wasn't just any noise, but music, coming from just behind a closed door. Lance had never seen this type of door in the castleship. Painted a shade of green with altean symbols denoting what was held inside above the frame, tubes coming up from the ground and curving into the walls next to the door. A keypad was lit up next to it, and, after giving a quick push against the handless door, Lance figured it was to unlock it.

After giving the keypad a quick inspection, he could see that there were clear signs of wear on five of the buttons, meaning that those were likely the ones in the code. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell what order they were pushed in, so Lance decided to just punch the buttons randomly. 

It didn't work. 

Just as Lance was about to give up, a small "ahem" broke the silence of the hallway. 

Lance jerked back and swung his arms out in defensive position, shoulder tense in preparation for anything, only to relax as soon as he saw Corans amused expression. 

"Hello number three. Taking a stroll are we?"

"Yeah I uhh, was actually looking for you, but then I heard this music and i- what's behind this door?" Lance finally stammered out, pointing back at the door behind him. 

"Ah, well, I'm surprised it's taken you this long to find it, given your curious nature. But rest assured number three, I think you will find this part of the castle particularly special." The older altean reached around Lance to punch in the code, and Lance smiled seeing that his initial guess was only a little off. The doors let out a small hiss as the opened, and humid air pooled out, surprising him, considering the rather dry atmosphere the castle usually had. 

His jaw dropped when he saw the interior. 

Everywhere he looked, there were plants covering every surface available. Dug into the ground, in pots and vases along shelves and tables. There were even some hanging from the ceiling curing tendrils of vines and flowers in every shape and color. 

"Woah."

"Welcome to the greenhouse." Clean gave Lance a small smile, before gesturing the paladin forward, and Lance hesitantly began to walk, still staring wide-eyed at everything.

It was a rather large room, much larger than the training room, the floor beneath his feet rich soil rather than the cold metal that made up most of the palace flooring. And the music was even louder in here. So Lance let that guide him even farther into the room. 

The air was sweet, the exotic flowers perfuming the humid air. The scent and moisture clung to Lance's skin, but he couldn't care less. 

"This place...it's beautiful."

"It is, isn't it? Unfortunately most of the flora and fauna in here are not the original species I had before the war. These are all samples from planets we have visited in this past deca-phoeb."

"I'm sorry."

"Whatever for, my boy?"

"About your plants. It sucks finding something you loved changed or lost." Lance said it casually, but the look of concern that passed Corans features made him self conscious. He pulled his jacket tighter around himself, and they continued to walk in silence, and soon they arrived at the source of the music. 

There was a small clearing in the middle of the greenhouse, where a table and chairs were set-up, and sitting in chairs across from each other, were Allura and Quronz. In between them was a small wooden box, glowing with a warm lilac-white hue. Lance stared transfixed at the box as it pulsed in time with the music it emitted.

It was a soft melody, and Lance wondered how he ever mistook it for just 'noise'. It seemed to have the same standard scale of a music box, but the notes were less plucky, more mellow and smooth. Each one tugged at his heartstrings and filled him with…he couldn't put a name on it. It sounded like a sweet tune, but there was a heaviness underlying it, a heaviness he couldn't explain. It felt as if it shad been something he-

oh, _oh no_.

"Lance, Coran? What are you two doing here?"

The questioning voice of Allura roused Lance out of his trance, face flushing lightly as he realized he had just been standing there owl-eyed and mouth gaping. 

"Lance and I were out for a stroll and we heard this lovely music. Is that yours, Quronz?"

Quronz shook his head, wincing as he did so, hand going up to lightly touch his scabbed over neck wounds. "It is from Olyxzion. The messenger prophet gave it to me. He said it would aid in our quest to break the curse of the planet."

"A messenger prophet?" Coran stroked his moustache, lookinking intently at the box.

"Yes, Hermes was his name."

Lance blinked. "Hermes? Like the Greek god?"

He was met with confused glances, which he expected. After all, Greece and Greek myths are an Earth thing. "Hermes was a deity that people from an old region of Earth worshipped. He was basically the messenger for the other gods."

"The similarities are fascinating, but I don't believe that these can be Earth's deities. After all, the quadrant in which Olyxzion resides is quite a distance from Earth." Allura chimed in. 

"Yeah, yeah of course princess." Lance muttered, lowering his gaze once again to the music box. 

"Perhaps you would like to have it?" Quronz pushed the music box towards Lance, who looked up in surprise. "You seem very taken by it, and since we are all on the mission, I suppose it doesn't do harm if it was in the care of another."

"Really? A-are you sure?" Lance asked, reaching out to touch the wood of the box holding it his hands gingerly. The wood was sturdy, slightly warm to the touch. The light pulsed in response to his touch, and Lance somehow felt more at ease than he has been in the past couple of weeks. 

"Yes, Quronz, are you sure? I mean if it really is important perhaps you should hold on to it, or we can give it to our black paladin?" Allura backed up, reaching out to grab the music box from Lance. 

Ouch. 

Lance frowned, but attempted to hide his disappointment and nodded along with Allura. "She's right. I would just lose or break it. Keith should be the one to have it." He muttered, ignoring the flare of jealousy in his stomach. 

Lance passed the music box to Allura, and instantly the glow disappeared, revealing a pair of red and blue gemstones sitting inside the box. The gemstones were a pale color, which explained the lilac hue the light had, and Lance could only look on in awe. 

"That has...never happened before." Quronz took the music box back from Allura and inspected it closely from all angles, closing and opening the lid several times, but still the light nor the music returned.

"Did I do something?" Lancs asked, guilt chewing away at his insides. 

"No, no, perhaps it has just exhausted itself." Quronz shut the lid and slid it back towards Lance. "Regardless, I trust you to care for it, paladin, and perhaps you'll be able to fix it."

Lance stared at where the box landed in front of him. A quick glance up at Allura revealed no indication of whether she was okay with him keeping it or not, but an encouraging look from Coran was all he needed. He grabbed the box once more and opened it to take a closer look at the gems. But instead the four of them stared in shock as the box lit up again, light even brighter and box even warmer than before. The music swelled again, filling Lance with the same, bittersweet emotion. 

"Interesting." Coran commented, a twinkle in his eye as he looked not at the box, but at Lance. 

Lance quickly closed the box, extinguishing the light and music and shoving it unceremoniously into his bag. 

"Well then," Allura began, looking at Lance out of the corner of her eye. "I suppose we should gather the rest of the paladins. It's almost time. Lance, would you be so kind to-"

"Yes. Yes! Of course princess, right away!" Lance stood up quickly, eager to get out of the uncomfortable situation of the three aliens staring at him. He gave a quick bow and turned around, speed walking his way out of the greenhouse. He didn't stop until the doors closed behind him, and he breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the wall and trying to figure out exactly what the _hell_ just happened. He fumbled around his bag a bit before pulling the music box out once again, not opening it, just staring. 

There were already too many questions than he would have liked. One, why did Allura seem so shocked that Quronz gave him the box, two, why did the music and light stop when Allura held it, and three why did it turn back on when he held it. And, this is the weirdest one, why the _FUCK_ was the song the music box played eerily similar to the one that bounced around in his dreams. 

“Red Paladin?”

Lance jumped back, turning around to see Quronz standing right next to him, watching him carefully with those black eyes that seemed to look at everything, and nothing all at once.

“Oh, I apologize, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“N-nah don’t worry about it. I was the one basically standing in front of the door.” He brought a hand up to scratch at the back of his neck, mentally cursing at the pathetic presence he’s had in front of Quronz so far. How was he supposed to trust the paladins to do the job right if he’s already seen how much of a mess Lance was. 

“Are you alright? Are you worried about the upcoming mission?”

Lance shook his head. “No, I just didn't sleep very well last night.”

“The box has you concerned, doesn’t it?”

He nodded slowly.

“I wish I could relieve some of the questions you have, however, I am about as clueless as you concerning the box. But, Mister Hermes put a great deal of importance in the box being kept safe in the right hands, and I believe that speaks volumes as to who you are as a person that the box seems to have chosen you.”

Quronz gave Lance a small smile, bottom fans sticking out slightly over his lips. Lance returned the smile, kind words sending a warmth through his body. They stayed like that for a moment, before Lance cleared his throat, putting the box back into his bag. 

“I should go round the team up. I’ll see you in a tick.” He waved at Quronz, who simply nodded in response. 

Lance sighed and turned to jog back through the hallway, and one he was sure he was out of sight and earshot, took in a big shuddering breath. 

“I got this. I got this.”

From inside the bag, the music box hummed in response. 

* * *

After gathering the rest of the paladins, they all proceeded to the Lions hangar, listening intently as Allura and Quronz began the debriefing. 

“Paladins. This mission is of the utmost importance, that means everyone needs to take it seriously. Everyone.” 

Lance ignored the pointed look Allura gave him, favoring holding his bag tightly in his lap. 

“Do we have an ETC?” Pidge chimed in, tapping away at her console.

“One deca-phobe.” Quronz answered

Immediately, a chorus of confusion began to sound out from all the paladins.

“A year? We can’t be gone for an entire year, the universe needs Voltron!” Keith exclaimed, standing up from where he was sitting.

“The major events that lead up to the war all take place over this upcoming deca-phobe. Of course, because we are going to be travelling to a new quadrant, time works a bit faster than most. What would be considered, say, two phobes here would constitute an entire deca-phobe on my planet, Olyxzion, and the other neighboring planets.”

“So, we aren't actually there for a year. That makes it slightly better. But what if during that time a planet needs our help?” Hunk asked, chewing at his nails nervously

“We will have our lions, we could fly out to whatever planet needs our help.” Allura said.

“How long will it take to get there?”

“Ryner has graciously agreed to transport us to the quadrant, but it will be up to us to fly the rest of the way there.”

“Yes, and Mister Hermes will be awaiting you in the plains of Thrence. It lies just outside the kingdom, and the coordinates are with Princess Allura. Unfortunately, I must return to my own planet and make our own preparations for the upcoming winters, but I am just call away.” Quronz said with a smile. “Please, do not hesitate to call about anything. I am here to assist.”

“Thank you Quronz. We appreciate it very much. Any other questions paladins?”

Lance slowly raised his hand. Quronz smiled, nodding towards him. “Yes, red paladin?”

“How will we know what to stop? I mean we are kinda going into this blind.”

“Lance!” Allura chided, frowning a bit. Lance, annoyed, stared right back at her, unwavering in his even gaze.

“No, it is alright princess. I personally don't know too many details, so i am afraid I cannot help much. But I do know that it is a curse that deals in loss and love. After all, what more can a poor bard sing about than that?”

“Loss and love?” Keith asked. Lance looked over at him, something underlying in the black paladins voice that gave Lance a strange feeling. 

Their eyes met briefly, Keith’s calculating, bit still soft, and Lance quickly looked away.

“Yes. I’m sure you will hear the people sing of it once you arrive. Speaking of,” Quronz stood up, walking over to Lance pointing to his bag. Lance stared at it for a bit, before realizing what Quronz was asking for, and he pulled out the music box, opening it so the light and music ebbed into the air. 

“Woah.” Pidged breathed out, moving closer to Lance and leaning into the light. 

“Olyxzion is a rather interesting planet. Their linguistics are unlike most others you may visit in your time travelling the universe. Their preferred method of communication is through music, but they do speak as you and I do.”

“Music? Like, they sing and stuff?” 

Quronz nodded. “Yes, yellow paladin. There is a mystique around these types of planets. Music has always been a form of deeper expression than common vernacular. These planets pull the emotions that its inhabitants cannot fully show through spoken word and lull them to song.”

“So, basically a strange and mysterious force makes people express themselves by singing. Thats fun.” Pidge muttered. “As long as we dont start singing, I'm cool with it.”

“You may, you may not, it entirely depends on the forces of nature.”

“Perfect time to show off my sweet pipes then.” Lance grinned. A chorus of groans came from the rest of the paladins, except for Hunk, who gave him a thumbs up. 

“Well, I think that covers it then. Is everyone prepared then?” Quronz finished, looking around at the paladins

Everyone nodded, quieting down and becoming serious once more. 

“Alright then team, let's get in our lions and go.” Keith said, sliding his helmet on.

The rest of the team gave varying noises of affirmation, and they all split to their respective lions. Lance jogged towards red, who welcomed him with a purr. But before Lance could get inside, a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned to see Coran, who was holding a samll leather bag in his open palm.

“To keep the box safe.”

Lance smiled and hugged Coran tightly. “Thank you. I’ll see you when I get back. We can water the plants in the greenhouse while I tell you everything.”

“Nothing would bring me greater joy, Number Three.”

Another quick hug, and then Coran stepped back, walking over to the console in the hangar and pressing a few buttons. Lance made his way into the cockpit, sliding his helmet on and starting up the console inside. 

“Green ready.”

“Yellow.”

“Blue is ready.”

“Red on standby.’

“Black ready. Portal is ready as well, as soon as we breach the atmosphere we should be able to see and go through it.”

Lance took a deep breath in, exhaling slowly as the hangar doors opened up. One by one the lions shot out, him being second to last, just in front of Keith.

The thrill of flying never ceased to amaze him. The complete freedom, the weightlessness, the feeling of pure adrenaline as everything surrounding you whizzes by. He felt his nerves slowly fade as his lion rose higher and higher, sky turning into space as they passed the atmosphere. And indeed, the portal was there open, crackling with electricity and magic. 

“Alright,” he whispered, grinning from ear to ear “Let's do this thing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We getting to the plot now bois B)
> 
> Yes, this is going to lowkey be a song fic, but im going to try my best and make sure the lyrics integrate well into the chapters. its probably going to be a mix of denoting when someone is singing by using italics, or, i'm going to do what im doing with respira and change the lyrics slightly to make it more conversational. IDK. there was a piece of this chapter that i decided to omit for now that would denote what type of song fic this would be. Depending on where my mind/fingers take me, i might add it back in to this chapter, and I will let you all know if I do so that you guys can be prepared to see what direction this will be heading in. 
> 
> if you have any questions, feel free to comment down below or PM me on tumblr @ eternatea
> 
> Ily all!


	3. The Road To Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Paladins, there are some things you need to know about our little corner of the world. Thrence isn’t your average little town. It’s actually a pitstop to the largest factory you’ll ever see. it does have an official name, but me and’ the folks ‘round here gave it a little nickname. We are all on a road there.”
> 
> “What are you saying?” Keith said, exasperation clear in his voice, any of the earlier softness Lance saw gone as he resumed his role of angsty leader. Lance sighed, crossing his arms and looking at the band, who seemed to be gearing up for a song.
> 
> Hermes through a wink, and opened his mouth. “Once upon a time there was a railroad line. It was a road to Hell, it was hard times...it was a world of Gods, and men!”
> 
> The piano stuck up to accentuate his words, underlying each crisp word with a chord. 
> 
> “And there's the singing.” Pidge sighed, plopping herself down on a table, burying her head in her hands.

_ Tap tap tap. _

_ Tap tap tap. _

_ Tap tap tap. _

_ Taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap- _

“UGH HUNK CAN YOU QUIT IT?!” The intercom crackled as Pidge screeched through it, annoyance clearly present in her voice.

“Sorry!”

“You guys, calm down, we are almost there." Keith said, a bit sternly. Immediately, Pidge and Hunk quieted down and the silence that ensued made Lance tick with nerves. 

Silence was always suffocating to him, pressing against his ears and mouth like cotton, making it hard to think or breathe. Music usually helped, or just hearing the other paladins talking or goofing made the stress lift off of him.silence reminded him too much of bad times. Of his dream.

_ Dark earth surrounding them, soaking in any noises he could possibly make. Soaking up his calls to Keith. Why couldn't Keith hear him? He was right there, right- _

"This is so boring!" Lance practically yelled out, attempting to chase any lingering darkness he had from his dream away. 

"The mission isn't supposed to be fun, Lance." Keith responded, and Lance rolled his eyes. 

“I know that, I’m just saying that maybe we could play some music or something.”

“I think we’ll be having plenty of music as soon as we touch down.” Shiro said. “For now let’s just keep our heads focused. We aren’t going into this with much of a plan, so it’s important that we be prepared for anything.”

“Does anyone else find it weird that he didn’t have much information? I mean he was a prisoner under the king, right? How does he not know more than that?” Pidge asked, pushing her glasses up. 

“I’m assuming he has only been alive for the loop once, so he wouldn’t really know anything other than the war and his imprisonment. I doubt anyone other than the Olyxzians know what actually happens.” Allura chimes in. “We have to trust him, after all, he gains nothing from omitting things from us.”

“The princess is right, we just have to do what we can until we know more.” Keith said. “So just hold tight, we should be arriving soon.”

* * *

Lance had gotten used to the unusual during his time traversing the universe. Customs, foods, plant-life, there wasn’t anything that gave him much pause anymore. Unless something had teeth that weren't normally supposed to have teeth. That was always unnerving.

But landing on Olyxzion was something different. 

From the way Quronz described it, he was expecting a war-torn, ravaged planet, devoid of life and happiness. But that was definitely not what the paladins saw.

“Oh my god…” Hunk muttered, looking out at the planet in awe. Lance’s own heart beat a little faster as he gazed across the field. No fluorescent colours, no strange lights twinkling, or double moons. 

Olyxzon looked so much like Earth. The dirt was brown, sky cloudy and gray, snow lightly falling into white heaps on the ground. A forest lay a bit in the distance, pine trees green and full, rustling in the wind. 

“Atmosphere can sustain us...it's almost indistinguishable from Earth’s…” Pidge said, a smile present in her voice.

In the middle of the field, seemingly immune to the large gusts of wind that the Lions gave off as they touched down on the ground, was an older man, hands in pockets as he looked up at the lions with a smile. 

Lance was the first one out, quickly followed by Pidge and Hunk. He took a deep breath as he removed his helmet, grinning as he felt the slight sting of the cold air nipping at his nose and ears. Keith, Shiro, and Allura made their way down as well, each taking off their own helmets to look around as well. 

“Welcome to Olyxzion, paladins. We’ve been awaitin’ your arrival.” The figure came, and once again the paladins were left in shock at the very human appearance of the older gentleman. His voice was soothing, a faint accent that Lance couldn’t trace shaping the words in his mouth. “The name’s Hermes.” He stuck a hand out, and Lance noticed that it was decorated with a variety of rings, all different shapes and sizes. But what struck him as odd was the attire he was wearing, a perfectly tailored silver suit, not at all suited to be out in the snow, yet, there were no spots of wetness on either his pants or shoulders. 

“Mister Hermes, it’s a pleasure. Anything we can do to help out. My name is Shiro, This is Keith, Lance, Hunk, Pidge, and Allura.” He motioned to each of the paladins as he said their names, and Lance gave a little wave when Hermes looked at him. 

“You all look mighty young to be the defenders of the universe.” Hermes said lightly, but there was something heavier in his eyes that Lance couldn’t pull away from. 

“With all due respect, we may be young, but we can still fight.” Keith responded, keeping his tone even, but the twitch in his jaw gave away his annoyance. Lance leaned in and nudged Keith slightly. Keith looked at him, and Lance nodded, hoping to calm Keith down a bit. They held their staring for a second, before turning back to face Hermes. 

“I don’t doubt that son. Young’uns always are the one’s fighting us old folks battles anyways.” The seriousness in Hermes's gaze gave Lance pause, but it quickly vanished as he gestured behind him. “The town’s this way, we best be getting there before it gets dark.” And with that, he began to walk towards the forest, hands in his pockets as he whistled. The paladins looked at each other, before following behind him, feet sinking in the snow with each step. 

Allura and Shiro took the lead, with Hunk and Pidge behind them, looking down at the various gadgets they brought, scanning anything they could to get a better understanding of the planet. That left Keith and Lance at the rear. Originally, Lance had stayed a step or two behind Keith, looking down at the snow as his feet pressed into it, elation filling his head. Then another pair of feet joined next to him, and he looked up to see Keith watching him, brows crooked. “Having fun?”

Lance shrugged his shoulders, blaming the warm flush he felt spreading on his face on cold air. “I’ve only seen snow a couple of times. Cuba isn’t exactly a winter wonderland.”

Keith nodded, and they walked on for a bit in silence before the black paladin spoke. “When I was younger, my dad and I visited my grandma in Korea for Christmas. She lived in a mountain town so the snow was deep that I could jump into a pile and it would be up to my chest. I think the last time we went I was like, six or seven?”

Lance looked at him in surprise, not expecting Keith to tell him, of all people, a story from his childhood. Keith, unaware of the way Lance was staring, looked up at the sky, sticking out his tongue slightly. Lance watched as a snowflake landed, and Keith smacked his lips. “That is definitely not just water.” 

_ ‘Oh god that was adorable.’ _

Lance smiled slightly, before sticking out his own tongue to the sky. A small burst of cold quickly spread on his tongue, and Lance made a noise of surprise as a note of sweetness accompanied the coldness of the snowflake. “Wow. That’s something new.”

Keith gave him a small smile, before shoving his hands under his armpits. 

“Hey, Keith?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry I’ve been acting weird recently.” Lance returned his gaze to the ground, biting his lip. “I just haven't been getting beauty sleep, ya know?”

“It’s fine Lance. I’m just...worried.”

Lance perked up, looking at Keith incredulously. “What?”

“I mean- I'm worried about all of you! You guys are my team, and I want to make sure you guys are all okay.” Keith quickly said, and Lance deflated a bit. 

He was stupid to think Keith would worry about just him. After all, he was the one that was being difficult.

“And…you have seemed down recently. You helped me out a lot when I was struggling being a leader, and I want to be there for you too.” Keith continued, poking Lance’s arm with his elbow

Lance blushed and turned away from Keith, scratching the back of his neck. “Thanks man.”

After that they continued on in comfortable silence, both paladins occasionally sticking out their tongues for more snowflakes. The sky had darkened considerably, and if it wasn't for the light of some oil lamps lighting the path, the group would have been in complete darkness. The wind also began to blow a little harder, rustling through the pine needles.

Then there was what sounded like music. At first Lance brushed it off as his imagination running wild, but soon they were facing a small pathway in between two large cliffs, going so high up that Lance could barely see the tops hidden behind the clouds, and there was, one-hundred percent, music echoing down the pass. 

“Are those...trumpets?” Pidge asked Hermes,, who chuckled and nodded in response. 

“Us folk down here love music. It guides us through life. When you meet my boy, he’ll give you a show.”

“You have a son?” Allura jogged forward a bit to walk next to Hermes, who tipped the hat he was wearing to her. 

“Nah, he ain’t mine, but he might as well be.”

Before the group knew it, the pass cleared back out to the top of a sloping hill, the village finally coming into view below them at the base of the hill

It mostly consisted of single story cabins built close together in the field, with some larger two-story buildings lining the edges of the town. These seemed to be more in abundance, and even more cramped together than the cabins were, smoke coming up through their chimneys. A larger building stood towards the edge of town, and that seemed to be the source of the music. Lights shone through every single window in the building, laughter could be heard accompanying the music. A small river passed through, more cabins on the other side, with another forest stretching just behind them. A set of railroad tracks stood behind the larger building, and looking to the left Lance could see that they continued back from where they came from throughout the mountain, though he didn’t recall seeing them on the other side. 

“Once we introduce you to the folk, we can move your lions down to the field over there.” Hermes said, pointing to an open field past just behind the tracks. “Didn’t want to scare them before y'all even got the chance to introduce yourselves.”

“We understand completely.” Shiro assured. Hermes smiled, and clapped Shiro on the shoulder.

“Well then, shall we?” 

* * *

  
The warmth of the bar, which was housed in the larger building they saw earlier, was the first thing Lance felt as they stepped inside, melting any stiffness he acquired in their walk in the snow. A loud cheer rang out as Hermes walked in the door, and he humored it by holding his arms out and giving a little spin. The people in the bar were unlike Hermes only in the way that they dressed. Whereas Mister Hermes had a rather expensive looking suit, the people milling and drinking were in rather worn clothes, mismatched and torn. Yet they seemed to greet Hermes as one of their own, patting his shoulders and shaking his hand as he made his way through the crowd.

“I brought y'all a little surprise today.” Hermes said, walking over to the bar and picking up a small metal cup, taking a sip before gesturing to the paladins. “These are the paladins of Voltron, they gonna help us out with our little problem” The trumpet blared in response, which sent the people lounging into a fit of hysterics. 

“Ah, yes, we really want to do the best we can to assist you all.” Allura said, smiling a bit confusedly at the reaction they were getting. The paladins seemed awkward, confused as to why the entire place looked happy despite the terrible fate they were all to have.

Lance, on the other hand, was having a great time. It had been so long since he’d been at a bar (not that he would ever mention that in front of Shiro, who would surely scold him about him being underage and all), and he was craving whatever was in those tin cups, a fruity aroma filling the air as the liquid sloshed around. The atmosphere, the warm lights and the smiley faces, it was just like being back home at Pedro’s. 

“Assist us with what? The winter? You may be the paladins of Voltron, but you are no Gods.” A taller, very clearly drunk man slurred.

“The winter and the curse on your land.” Allura pressed on, not at all impressed by the drunken man, who had taken to poking the galra arm of a very unamused Shiro. 

“Curse?” Hermes swung around, eyebrow quirked and looking at the paladins from the spot on the small stage where the small band fiddled with their instruments. 

“Yes, ah, Quronz said that-”

“Oh,  _ that _ curse. Yes Yes, we would love your help with that, wouldn’t we?” Another cheer, louder than before. 

Now Lance was concerned. He pulled away from the group, ignoring the concerned call of Keith and walking until he was just in front of Hermes, who looked down at him with an expectant look. “Uhm, Mister Hermes, what exactly is the curse?

“Now we’re talkin’. Boys?” Hermes motioned to the trumpet player, who gave the older gentleman a salute before bringing the trumpet to his lips. As he created a steady, twangy beat, the crowd gave noises of encouragement, and soon the rest of the paladins were pulled towards the stage. 

“What is going on?” Hunk muttered as he landed next to Lance, looking at his best friend with a confused side glance. Lance shrugged, before the taping of a microphone caught his attention. 

“Paladins, there are some things you need to know about our little corner of the world. Thrence isn’t your average little town. It’s actually a pitstop to the largest factory you’ll ever see. it does have an official name, but me and’ the folks ‘round here gave it a little nickname. We are all on a road there.”

“What are you saying?” Keith said, exasperation clear in his voice, any of the earlier softness Lance saw gone as he resumed his role of angsty leader. Lance sighed, crossing his arms and looking at the band, who seemed to be gearing up for a song.

Hermes through a wink, and opened his mouth.  _ “Once upon a time there was a railroad line. It was a road to Hell, it was hard times...it was a world of Gods, and men!” _

The piano stuck up to accentuate his words, underlying each crisp word with a chord. 

“And there's the singing.” Pidge sighed, plopping herself down on a table, burying her head in her hands. 

_ “We got some Gods in the house tonight!”  _ Hermes pointed towards the front door, and Lance turned, only for a chill to run down his spine. 

Three women stood watching over the bar carefully, dressed identically. At first glance they looked rather young, but as Lance examined them they seemed to age right before his eyes, and he couldn’t help the feeling that  _ he has seen them before _ . 

_ “They always singin’ in the back of your mind. Ev’rybody meet the Fates!” _

A small smattering of applause came from the audience, and the three women bowed low. The smallest of the three looked up, directly making contact with Lance, and Lance shuddered, before the name of the women came to mind.  _ ‘The Fates? But that is…’ _

Lance glanced over to Hunk, who was looking at him with the same amount of intensity.

_ “And on the road to Hell there was a railroad line, with a lady steppin’ of the train. A suitcase, full of summertime, Persephone is her name.”  _

Lance was in fifth grade when he read the books. How they got under Cuba’s harsh censorship he didn’t know, but those books, they started it all.

“Wait a second, Persophone...Hermes. Lance, Hunk.. This is.” Pidge rose from the table, eyes wide and jaw slack as she watched Hermes. 

_ “And if you ride that train to the end of the line, where the sun don’t shine and it’s always shady, it’s there you’ll find the king of the mine, almighty Mr. Hades!” _

“It’s the Greek Gods!” The trio said in unison, excitement coursing through them. 

“It’s not possible. Greek Gods are an Earth creation...How could they…” Shiro asked, running his hand through his hair at the thoughts running through his mind.

_ “Oh, right I almost forgot, a man with feathers on his feet, who will help you to your final destination, Mister Hermes, that’s me!” _

“I knew it!” Lance pumped a fist in the air, smiling widely. 

_ “See someone’s got to tell the tale, whether or not it turns out well.”  _ Hermes continued, before crouching down slightly and looking at Keith, who had stayed silent amongst the realizations of the paladins.  _ “Maybe it will turn out this time.” _

“Wait, If these are Greek Gods, then maybe the curse is one of the Greek myths!” Hunk said excitedly. 

“Yeah but which one?” Shiro asked “I'll be honest I don't remember much other than Hercules.”

“Well it has to be one with Persephone and Hades. Maybe this is the story of her kidnapping?” Pidge added, looking around for any clue that would confirm her theory. 

_ “It’s a sad tale, it's a tragedy…” _

“That story didn't end sadly, Persephone loved Hades in the end.” Lance said, scratching his chin in thought. “A greek tragedy with Persephone and Hades?”

_ “Now not everyone gets to be a God. And don’t forget, times are hard. Hard times for the world of men, let me introduce you to a few of them. On the road to hell there was a railroad line…” _

“I...don’t remember any.” Hunk said, defeated.

“Me neither.” Pidge muttered

Lance scrunched his eyes in thought, and distantly in his mind, the song of the music box came back, sadder now than before. Almost as if it were grieving, mourning. In an instant, Lance stood straight. “Guys..I think I know what it is. It may be crazy, but remember what Quronz said, about loss and love.”

“Something about a bard?” Allura questioned, even more out of the loop than Keith or Shiro. 

_ “And a poor boy working on a song…” _

A sound came from somewhere in the crowd, and the crowd parted to reveal a busboy wiping one of the tables down, quietly singing some nondescript melody. He, like the others in the bar, was wearing simple clothing, although contrary to the rest of them his seemed cleaner, and less torn. Lance's breath hitched as he saw him, and his heart thudded in his chest.

“ _ His mama was a friend of mine, this boy was a muses son, so you might say the boy was touched.” _

“Exactly, a bard, or a musician, music, Hades and Persephone, guys, that’s-”

_ “Cause he was touched by the Gods themselves, give it up, for-” _

“It’s Orpheus!”

Orpheus perked up at the sound of his name, briefly smiling and waving as some of the patrons gathered around him.

Lance looked at the young man, a smile spreading as he watched him fumble with the attention that was suddenly on him.

“Is he someone important?” Keith asked, coming up next to Lance. 

“Orpheus is Lance’s favorite myth. Lance has a thing for emo musicians or something.” Pidge said, and Lance shoved her slightly, before turning to Keith. 

“I know what the mission is now.”

“ _ There was one more soul on this road, Girl come in from the cold!” _

“What is it?” Keith grabbed Lances arm, looking at him directly in the eyes. But Lance didn’t respond, looking past Keith at the door once more, where it was slowly creaking open. The figure that walked in was swaddled in an old coat, too big for their lanky frame. 

_ “There was a young girl lookin’ for somethin’ to eat.” _

“Oh no. This isn’t going to be easy.” Hunk muttered as the girl sidled up to the bar, back to the rest of the crowd, hunched over herself. 

“What do you mean Hunk?” Allura pressed, watching the girl as well. “I would really like to know what is going on!”

“The loop, Orpheus becomes derragned after losing the love of his life. That's what starts the war!”

_ “And brother thus begins the tale of Orpheus, and Eurydice!” _

And as if Hermes flipped a switch, the entire crowd burst around them, laughing, singing and dancing, chanting along with the winged God on stage. 

People started to push into the paladins, and Lance, too shocked to even react, allowed himself to be moved away from the group, still watching Eurydice with his jaw hanging open, the lights, sounds, and smells of the bar melding together into a cacophonous blob, and suddenly he was on the floor, the damp wood pressed against his cheek as feet thundered around him. 

His bag had fallen open as well, and the music box lay open in front of him, light growing brighter and brighter, pulsing along with the music. 

He reached out to grab it, but some very polished shoes came into his line of sight, and a hand picked the music box up before he could. He looked up, to see Hermes, a strange look in his eyes as he extended his free hand out to Lance. Lancee hesitantly grabbed it, accepting the God's help to get back on his feet. 

“You’re an interesting one, aren’t you?” Hermes commented, placing an arm around Lance's shoulders as they walked towards the back of the bar, handing him the music box with the other hand. Lance saw the rest of the team standing in front of a booth, relief on their faces as they saw him and Hermes approaching.

“I’d like to think so, sir.”

The God chuckled, before patting his back and pushing him towards the team. “So paladins, you understand what’s gonna to happen now?”

A mixed response of yes’s and no’s came from the team, which caused Hermes to once again laugh. “Well, does one of yall want to explain to those who don't understand?”

“Lance should do it, this was his favorite story back home.” Hunk tapped Lance's arm as he sat down in the booth behind them, the rest of the team squeezing in after, while Hermes stayed standing. 

Lance perked up and nodded. “Well, to keep it to the basics, Orpheus and Eurydice are lovers, and one day Eurydice gets bit by a snake and is sent to the Underworld. Orpheus is heartbroken by it and goes down as well to see if he can bring her back. His singing makes Hades and Persephone grant his request, but with one rule. Eurydice has to follow behind, and Orpheus can’t look back until they are both out of the Underworld. So they start walking and it's really hard because of the doubt and fear he feels. But eventually he sees the exit and makes it out, so he turns around and-” Lance stopped abruptly, dream coming back and sending a shiver down his spine. 

Hunk looks at him in concern, squeezing his hand under the table before picking up where Lance left off. 

“And he sees her. But she's not out yet. She was still in the underworld. So she gets sent back, and he never sees her again. He spends the rest of his life roaming the earth singing these really sad songs. Eventually he gets killed by a wild animal. Fun stuff.”

“So, we have to stop Eurydice from dying?” Keith asked after a moment of silence.

“Not quite.” Hermes pulled out a pipe and lit it, fragrant smoke billowing out from his lips. “That story you just told, it’s an older song. Times and circumstances change. Winter is harsh here, food and warmth scarce. Eurydice chooses to leave for the factory in favor of a place to sleep.”

“The train...that's the way to the Underworld, isn’t it?” Pidge asked, to which Hermes nodded.

“There's a bigger situation at hand. Natural balance is at stake. Winters are long, summers are short. Spring and Fall hardly exist. When Orpheus returns alone from the Underworld, that balance is restored. I can’t say what he does exactly, but your mission here paladins is to make sure that balance is restored and Orpheus doesn’t lose himself.”

“So let’s just keep them from meeting each other, that solves one part of the problem, and I’m sure that buys us enough time to figure out how to fix the seasons.” Keith responded. 

“That won’t work son. We’ve tried that already. We’ve also tried locking Orpheus in the underworld as well, along with his love. It seems to solve the problem with the war, but makes the other worse. That's why we are askin’ for your help, you see. We don’t know what to do.”

“With all due respect, we are just a couple of humans and an altean, I don’t know how much we can solve. This seems bigger than any of us.” Hunk said, and every gaze turned to look at him in surprise. “Not that we don’t want to help! But we are going against fate, aren’t we?”

“That you are. That you are.” Hermes pondered thoughtfully. 

“Well, we can still provide aid in the terms of food and materials needed. In the meantime we can try and figure out a plan to help restore balance.” Allura said slowly, looking at Keith and Shiro for acceptance. 

  
  


“Sure. Anything to help.” Keith added, though Lance could tell the paladin was more hesitant in his response. No one else seemed to notice, however, and gave their agreement as well.

“Then that settles it!” Hermes clapped his hands together. “I’ll show you to your rooms later on in the evening, I have some things I must attend to. But drink, dance, be merry! I guarantee you this ain’t gonna last long.” 

And with that, Hermes was swallowed into the crowd, leaving the paladins staring after nothing. 

“So.” Hunk finally said, looking around at the group. “We have a lot on our plate.”

“Change the fates of two people, save a planet from an eternal winter, AND save other planets from a decimating war. Just another day for us.” Pidge added, fiddling with her communicator.

“We need to think this through. We are basically being asked to do the impossible. And aside from half of us, we aren’t even fully aware of Greek mythology.” Keith pointed out.

“Hey, I said I knew Hercules!” Shiro pouted. Lance stifled a laugh at the childish gesture from their oldest.

“Okay, besides Hercules then. But still, we are at a disadvantage.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing.” Lance shrugged, “I mean, this gives us a chance to kind of wait and see what will happen. When the moment is right, I’m sure that we will manage to figure something out. But in the meantime, helping these people prepare for the inevitable is the best option.”

“Lance is right. We can't turn our backs on those who need us.” Allura agreed, and Lance felt a small glow of validation. 

“Great! So not that that’s settled, I’m going to go ahead and see if I can get a cup of whatever they are drinking. Lancey needs something after walking in that snow!” Lance pushed his way out of the booth, ignoring the protests of the group and squeezing through until he reached the bar. 

“What's the poison?”

“Wine cultivated by our lady herself. It's the last of the bunch, but she is due anytime now, so not to worry.” The bartender said, pouring out a cup for Lance from a dark bottle, labeled peeled and faded from age and use. 

“Your lady?” Lance took a sip from the cup, the taste of sugared berries and slight sting of alcohol washing through his mouth. 

“Persephone. She always brings us gifts to make up for her late arrival every year.”

“Late?”

The figure next to him that he hadn't noticed snorted out a laugh, and Lance almost choked on his drink as Eurydice tilted her cup towards him, smiling.

“Oh! Um, hello, My name is Lance.”

“Eurydice. You aren’t from around here, are you?”

"No, I'm a paladin of Voltron. This is our first time here."

"Voltron?" Eurydice sat up a bit, "Wow, maybe our luck has changed then. Are you here to save us?" 

"That's the plan." Lance tapped his fingers against the wood of the bar, nerves dancing as Eurydice smiled at him. 

"You know, it wasn't always like this." Eurydice took another swig of her drink, setting it back down on the bar, a distant look in her eyes. 

_ "Weather ain't the way it was before. Ain't no spring or fall at all anymore, it's either blazing hot, or freezing cold, any way the wind blows."  _

Lance couldn't help but gasp as Eurydice began singing, her voice sweet and full, dripping from her lips like caramel. But there was an underlying heaviness to it, as if she had something to hide, or was running from. 

_ "And there ain't a thing that you can do, when the weather takes a turn on you, 'cept for hurry up and hit the road, any way the wind blows." _

The Fates had moved silently, so much so that Lance didn't even notice them pulling up around Eurydice, until they opened their mouths, echoing her words back to her, whistling softly through their teeth. Eurydice didn’t seem to pay them any mind, knocking back her drink instead, the bartender coming and refilling her cup with what looked like water. She turned to Lance, pulling out what looked like a small candle in a jar, holding the object out to him. “Ya got a match?”

Lance nodded, digging around his bag to find the small box, handing it over. Eurydice smiled, taking it and striking a match, before gingerly lowering it until the wick of her candle caught the flame. The soft light from the candle illuminated her round face, small shadows playing around as she stared happily at it. 

Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. The tallest of the Fates made quick work to bend down and blow it out, the other two laughing as a crestfallen look appeared on Eurydice’s face.

“Damnit, I can never keep this thing lit for longer than a couple of seconds.” She sighed, before shoving it back into her bag. Lance looked between her and the Fates, who had started whispering and giggling amongst themselves as they towered over her. Could Eurydice not see them? Just as Lance was about to ask, a pointed cough sounded from behind him. Lance turned to see Keith giving him an ‘are you serious’ look, and Lance bashfully pushed the cup of wine away from him. 

“The rest of the team decided to go get the lions now instead of waiting until morning.You and I can get them later.”

“Oh uhm, well we can go now. I’m not really doing anything.” Lance stumbled over his words, embarrassed at being the one left behind for fooling around.

’As usual’. 

_ “People turn on you just like the wind.” _

“It’s okay Lance. We can just go later. I’m not really in the mood to go back out anyways. It’s better to wait til morning.” Keith took his seat next to Lance. “That's her, isn’t it?”

_ “Everybody is a fair weather friend.” _

“Yep.” Lance motioned to the bartender, pointing at Keith. “Can he get some?”

“Of course!” Another cup filled, and Keith slowly brought it to his lips, taking a cautious sip.

“Is this wine?” 

Lance nodded, before leaning in and smirking at the black paladin. “Don’t tell me you’re a prude.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “I’ve had drinks before.” Another sip, bigger this time, before setting the cup down and jerking his chin towards Eurydice. “What's been happening.”

“Just listen Mullet.”

_ “In the end, you’re better off alone, anyway the wind blows.”  _ Eurydice sighed, before leaning over to Lance, paying no mind to Keith, “You know about this stuff, don’t you?”

Lance glanced nervously around, before chuckling. “What do you mean?”

“That look in your eye. You’ve seen tough shit, haven’t you? When life gets you down, everything seems stacked against you,  _ and sometimes you think, you would do anything, just to fill your belly full of food, or find a bed that you could fall into, where the weather wouldn’t follow you.” _

“I uhm-” Lance pulled away from the young girl, who looked disappointed, before resuming her place back on her stool. The Fates seemed to have their interests piqued, as they began to move towards Lance. But as soon as they seemed as if they were to say something, Keith stood up, grabbing Lance by the arm and pulling him away from the bar. Lance made an attempt to grab his cup of wine, but an insistent tug from Keith forced him to leave it. 

“Keith, what are you doing?” 

“I’m getting Hermes to show us our rooms. We’ve had enough for the night.” He said simply. Lance yanked his arm away, annoyance flaring through him.

“I can walk on my own.”

Keith had paused for a moment when Lance pulled away, looking at the red paladin with a neutral expression, before giving a curt nod, resuming his pace towards the elder gentleman, who was whispering to Orpheus near the stairwell. 

Lance saw Orpheus and looked back towards Eurydice, who had seemingly passed out on the bar, whether from fatigue or drink Lance had no clue. 

“Ah, paladins, I thought you had left.” Hermes moved towards the two with outstretched arms, and for the first time, Lance made direct eye contact with Orpheus.

_ Fuck  _ he was hot.

“We decided to split the moving of the lions. I don’t mean to interrupt, but if you could show us to our rooms, that would be fantastic.” Keith replied, and Lance was always impressed with the smooth, even tone Keith used for his ‘leader-talk’. 

Hermes looked between the two, before taking out a pocket watch from his breast pocket and looking at the time. “S’mighty early.”

“We also have to wake up early, to start planning.”

“...Alright then.” Hermes gave Keith a quizzical look, before slapping Orpheus on the back, the younger man flinching in surprise. “Orpheus here’ll take you to your rooms.”

"Oh, oh! Yes, yes, please follow me!" Orpheus bowed awkwardly before turning around and walking up the steps, Keith and Lance following closely behind. 

"So, Orpheus. I heard that you like to sing?" Lance asked, skipping a step to be able to walk next to the young man, eager to talk to him.

"I do occasionally." Orpheus mumbled. "Mister Hermes likes to hear me sing, so I play songs for him and for the bar." 

"Do you think you could play one for us sometime?" 

Orpheus looked at Lance, and nodded his head, smiling. "I can't promise they'll be any good, but if you like stories, then maybe you'll like them."

"Sounds great." Keith interjected, sharpness in his voice stunting the conversation. Lance scowled and glared back at the paladin, who stared back in response. 

The second floor of the bar consisted of a hallway with about six doors, three of them shut, while the other three remained ajar. Looking into them, they seemed rather small, with only a small wooden table and a rolled up pad, which Lance assumed was meant for bedding, furnishing it. 

“I’m sorry it isn’t much, things have been difficult. But I hope it will suffice. The other two open rooms are yours as well.” Orpheus hung his head bashfully, and Lance felt something twist inside of him.

“It’s perfect Orpheus, thank you.” Lance reached out and placed a hand on Orpheus arm, squeezing it lightly. Orpheus looked up, face dusted with pink as he nodded and nervously backed away. 

“N-no problem, just doing what I- ah!” His back hit the doorframe, and Orpheus threw a quick smile before turning and running off down the hall. Lance looked on in amusement, chuckling quietly to himself.

“ _ Ahem. _ ”

Lance turned to look at an unimpressed Keith. “What?”

“Is that your plan, make him fall in love with you or something.”

“What are you talking about?”

Keith looked at Lance as if to say ‘really?’. “You were flirting with him.”

“I WAS NOT!” He scoffed, crossing his arms. “I don’t just flirt with every single person that talks to me, you know.”

“Maybe not, but that was definitely flirting, did you see how nervous you made him?”

“I was just trying to be friendly! Sure, he’s cute, but that doesn’t mean I want to get with him.”

“Well, maybe try to tone down the friendliness.” Keith sat on the floor, ending the discussion as he pulled out some things from his bag.

Lance frowned and plopped on the floor next to him, pouting as he watched Keith begin to polish his knife. The boy was surprisingly gentle with it, and Lance was transfixed by the way his hands moved against the blade. 

“So, are you going to tell me what that whole thing with Eurydice was about?”

“...The thing with...what?”

Keith put the knife down, and began to take off his armor, first snapping off the chest and shoulder plates, rolling his shoulders in relief. “You don't have to say anything. Just the comment she made about you being similar or something. It was weird right?”

“Oh, haha. Yeah. Honestly I have no idea.” Lance bit his lip and averted his gaze as Keith continued to remove the armor, butterflies flitting around his stomach as more of Keith’s muscled figure became exposed. Lance prodded at his own stomach, suddenly disliking the leanness of his body. He should probably start lifting weights or something. 

“Well, if there’s anything you ever need to talk about...i’m here for you. As your leader!” Keith quickly added, and Lance deflated. Of course just as his leader. The team always mattered more than anything. 

“Yeah got it. Thanks Keith.” Lance stood up, walking out into the hallway towards the next open room.

“What are you doing?”

Lance turned back. Keith had stood up as well, one hand on the door frame as he looked at Lance.

“I'm going to my room? I assumed you wanted to bunk with Shiro.”

“Oh, right. See you tomorrow then.”

Lancee gave the black paladin a half-smile, before turning around and closing the door behind him, staring at the empty room but not really focusing on anything at all.

_ “That look in your eye. You’ve seen tough shit, haven’t you?” _

He shook his head, forcefully pushing Eurydice’s words away from his mind. Whatever she saw in him that made her say that, that was in the past. 

He wasn’t anything special. He was just Lance, just a paladin. 

Spreading out the pad of bedding, he simply removed his boots, leaving the rest of the armor on as he curled on top of it, too exhausted and heavy to even consider changing. 

With the door closed the room was shrouded in darkness, the floor faintly rumbling as music from below seeed up from the cracks, and something about it brought Lance back to the nights back home, where music and laughter filled the warm balmy air, moon and stars filling the inky blue of the night, salty air rustling through the open window.

And with thoughts of home, Lance fell asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song References:
> 
> Road To Hell/Anyway the Wind Blows
> 
> \-------------------------------
> 
> So i have finally decided how exactly I want to approach the musical aspects of the story, a bit different from Respira, but its important to me that the lyrics stick true to what they are. This was actually really difficult for me to write. Usually I write a chapter for any story in about 1-3 days, but this chapter took me a whole week to do. So much erasing (ד ྊ ד ). So i'm warning you all now, this story might have slower updates than any of my other ones, but thats because I want to get the tone exactly right.
> 
> Now that that had been said, i mentioned in my previous authors notes that when I finally decided on how to approach this story, i would either add or edit the previous chapter to fit the needs. And i did add to the last chapter. Its towards the end of the chapter, so if you would like to read that, please do so!
> 
> \-------------------------------
> 
> Please comment down below your thoughts, opinions, or questions, im always happy to answer them! ILY!!


	4. Come Home With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And, just as they had arrived, the flowers and wind faded, bringing them back to the cold winter of the room, which seemed even colder now after the miracle that just happened. Lance turned to Keith, about to say something, when a flower in the black paladin's own hands gave him pause. 
> 
> A blood red carnation, so perfect that it seemed fake. Just like the one Eurydice now held. 
> 
> "Is that-" Lance reached to touch the flower, fascinated as to why, just like Orpheus's flower, it remained even after the song ended. 
> 
> When his fingers finally brushed the soft petals, Lance became keenly aware of Keith's eyes on him, and he looked up to see the paladin watching him intently. His heart thudded in his chest as his eyes traced Keith's face, the flushed cheeks and the intense stare, and finally, looked at his lips, slightly parted, small clouds of white coming out from where his warm breath intermingled with the cold air. 
> 
> "Lance…"

_ The night was dark, and Lance could feel the cold air run along his limbs as he hastily walked back from the bodega to his home, holding the paper bag full bread and beans close against him.  _

_ The owner of the shop had taken pity on him, giving him a bit of their family dinner so that he could take it to his own family. Begging always filled Lance with shame, but if it was for his mama, he would throw away his own dignity in an instant.  _

_ The clattering of broken glass sent a chill down Lance's spine, hair raising at the nape of his neck. He was being followed. And it was no guess as to who they were.  _

_ He took a deep breath before he made a break for it, running at full speed towards his home. The footsteps that had been following from a distance now sounded loudly as they chased after him, rubber soles slapping against the pavement. Lance's own bare feet made no noise, but small bits of sharp gravel dug into the sensitive skin.  _

_ Hands wrapped around him and he panicked, though he knew better than to scream, after all, no one would help him. They were just as scared as he was.  _

_ "Well well well, what do we have here?" _

* * *

Lance gasped as he shot straight up, cold sweat slicking his body, sending him into shivers as the equally cold air of the room settled against his skin.

It had been so long since he had a dream about home. 

He slowly brought his arms up to give himself a sort of faux hug, attempting to ease the tremors that lurked in his muscles. Someone, Hunk he presumed, had stripped him of his armor pieces, leaving him in his flight suit, unzipping it just a tad to allow him to breathe a bit easier. Said paladin was currently still sleeping, luckily Lance's outburst hadn't woken him. 

Lance rubbed his eyes, chasing the sleep away from them. There was no use in delaying his morning because of a silly memory. No matter how terrifying.

His casual clothes had become slightly wrinkled due to him throwing his bag haphazardly on the floor, but when he thought about how the native people dressed, he felt a bit guilty. Complaining about such a superficial thing when their clothes seemed barely held together. 

"Lance?" The sleepy voice of Hunk broke through the otherwise silent morning, and Lance turned to look at his friend, who still had one eye shut, the other barely held open as sleep held its grip on him. 

"Hey buddy, I'm going to go get my lion with Keith. I'll be back soon. Okay?"

"Did you have a bad dream?"

Hunk always asked him the same question whenever they woke up. Even being in separate rooms on the castle, Lance's communicator would buzz with the question. After all, Hunk was the only one who knew him well enough to know about the bad dreams, what they entailed, why they came about. 

"Yeah, but I'm okay. I promise."

It wasn't a complete lie, but nevertheless Hunk seemed to accept his words, whether out of his want to go back to sleep, or knowing the futility in trying to argue with Lance about his unhealthy compartmentalization.

Lance smiled as his friend's snores resumed, and he went over to gently run his hand through Hunks hair, feeling the light oiliness from being unable to shower in the past day. 

"I'll be back soon."

He carefully closed the door behind him, and lightly knocked on Keith and Shiro's door, in case either paladin was asleep. After a few moments of silence, he knocked again, a bit louder and that's when he began to hear rustling coming from inside, before a rather loud yawn was heard. 

"Who's there?"

"Oh uh, sorry to wake you Shiro, but Keith said that he and I would go get our lions today. Is he still sleeping?"

Another yawn. "I think he...I think he went downstairs already."

"Oh, okay. Thanks! And sorry again."

There was no response to his apology, and Lance chuckled slightly. Usually he was the one to wake last. Seeing the other side of the coin was pretty amusing. 

As Lance made his way downstairs, he spotted Keith sitting on the edge of the stage, gaze focused on Orpheus, who was sweeping a few feet away. Another quick scan of the floor showed more workers getting ready to start the day, cleaning and cooking something that smelled amazing. A few patrons still lingered that Lance vaguely remembered from the previous night, slumped over tables or by the coal stove. The one that caught Lance's eye however, was Eurydice, snoring at the bar, candle tucked in the crook of her arm.

"Hey." Lance said, sitting next to Keith, who only gave him a distracted nod, still staring at Orpheus, who seemed to have noticed the heavy stares going in his direction, if the quickly reddening cheeks on his face were any indication. 

Lance gave an awkward wave, to which Orpheus smiled, still looking a bit shy, before he walked over to Hermes who had been sitting on a stool up on stage. Lance took the opportunity to jam his elbow into Keith's side. "Dude seriously cut the glare out."

Keith jerked away from him slightly, annoyance in his features. "What? You can flirt with him but I can't look at him?,"

"That wasn't looking. It was like you were undressing him with your eyes or something, it was intense." 

At that, Keith also began to flush, pouting and crossing his arms. "That's inappropriate."

Lance smiled. "Did you sleep well?" 

"Yeah. The pads are more comfortable than they look. It felt like I was on an actual bed."

"It was pretty sweet. I slept like a baby."

Keith was silent for a moment, before speaking out.

"You sleep walked again."

Lance tensed, gripping at his own fingers. "What do you mean? I was in my bed this morning."

"You were making a lot of noise, so I...I came out to check if you were fine. You were near the banister freaking out. You still had your armor on and it looked like you were trying to get it off so I-" Keith ducked his head slightly, as if he was ashamed. "I helped you take it off."

"Oh...well thanks I guess." Lance said as he felt embarrassment run through him.. He caused a scene on his first night here. What if someone else had seen, what would he have said then? 'Oh yeah, sorry about that, I promise Voltron doesn't have an unstable paladin.'

Yeah, sure,  _ that _ would be believable. 

"Would you two like anything to eat or drink before you set off?" 

Both Keith and Lance turned to see Orpheus, holding the broom to his chest as he looked expectantly at the two of them, hesitance still in his eyes as he watched Keith carefully. 

"No thank you, we are okay." Keith responded, giving Orpheus a small smile, which seemed to ease the boy a bit. 

"Actually, if you have any water, I'd love a cup." Lance said, tapping at his throat lightly. "The cold air dried me out more than I thought."

Orpheus nodded, before turning and going back towards the bar, and Lance could see the way Orpheus tensed as he approached the knocked out Eurydice, watching her with a faint blush in his cheeks and shaking in his hands. 

"That boy, he wears his heart out on his sleeve, doesn't he?"

Hermes sauntered over to them, nodding his head towards Orpheus. 

"I think it's nice. A lot of people tend to bottle things up inside, and that's not healthy for anyone." Lance commented, smiling fondly at Orpheus, before his eyes slowly drifted to Keith, who was looking at the God with slight trepidation. 

"Nice is one way of puttin' it. Most folks would say naive."

"He needs to grow up."

Lance elbowed Keith hard in the side, giving him a 'what the fuck man' look when the paladin glared at him. "Orpheus is fine just the way he is."

"You both have valid points. But still, I suppose we should let him grow into his own shoes. As long as he keeps singing and seeing things the way he does, I'm sure he'll be happy. " Hermes grinned, as Orpheus stumbled on his way over, foot knocking into a chair. The wood scraping against each other made a loud noise, and Eurydice flinched awake, looking around in a panic before seemingly remembering where she was. Lance stifled a giggle, and even Keith rolled his eyes.

"Nice one."

Orpheus pouted a bit, handing Lance his cup before looking back over his shoulder at the girl, who was writing something down on a napkin with a stubby pencil. 

"You want to talk to her, don't you?" Hermes tapped Orpheus on the shoulder, and Orpheus smiled, scratching his arm. 

"Yes."

"Go on then. We are all rooting for you." 

Lance solidified Hermes' statement with a thumbs up, and Orpheus nodded, a determined look in his eye. He had just begun to walk away, when Hermes whistled.

"Orpheus?"

"Yes?"

A steady hand on the shoulder, and a finger emphasized the God's next words. "Don't come on too strong."

Orpheus nodded before rushing over to Eurydice. Lance looked on expectantly, hands clasped in front of his as Orpheus gathered up his courage, taking a deep breath in.

" _ Come home with me _ !"

Hermes sighed, shaking his head. "I tried."

Eurydice looked at Orpheus as if he grew two heads. "Who are you _?" _

_ "The man who's gonna marry you! I'm Orpheus!" _

Lance snorted, covering his mouth to avoid laughter from bubbling out of it. Yet when he looked over to Keith, all the mirth melted away. The black paladin looked pensive, brooding, brows furrowed and lips twisted into something akin to a scowl. "Keith?"

"I'm going to go stop them." Keith marched forward, but Lance made quick work to yank him back, ignoring the annoyed glare he was receiving. 

"What do you mean you're going to stop them, why?"

"You heard what Hermes said! Orpheus losing Eurydice is what causes him to go mad. If we stop them then we stop the war." Keith whispered through clenched teeth.

"If you heard that then you also heard Hermes say that they already tried that and it didn't matter because they still got fucked over by the deadly winter." Lance quickly glanced over his shoulder to see if Hermes was listening, but the man had moved closer to Orpheus, preferring to eavesdrop on the awkward interaction he was having. "Let them have this, Keith."

Keith frowned. "I don't get it. Why does them being together matter?" 

Lance returned the frown back. "Because they deserve it. The one good thing of this whole cycle is that they get to fall in love over and over again. Let them love each other."

The two stood still, staring at each other, Lance almost daring Keith to take another step towards the couple. Keith on the other hand, looked a bit surprised, which mildly put Lance off, but he ignored it. 

"Fine. But now we need to figure out how to keep her from dying." Keith muttered, crossing his arms.

"Super easy." Lance responded. 

_ " _ I'm Eurydice."

" _ Your name is like a melody." _

"I dont think I'll ever get over the singing." Keith said.

Lance simply nodded, entranced by Orpheus' voice. 

"A singer. Is that what you are?"

" _ I also play the lyre." _

"Oh a liar AND a player too. I've met too many men like you."

"Preach." Lance muttered.

" _ Oh no, I'm not like that." _

_ "He's not like any man you've met,"  _ Hermes backed up, clapping Orpheus on the back, acting like the perfect wingman. " _ Tell her what you're workin' on." _

_ "Im working on a song. But when it's done, and when I sing it, spring will come again. " _

"Wait what?" Lance straightened up, eyes lasered in on Orpheus. "Did he just say that spring would come once his song was finished ?"

"He did, but really? A song is going to bring a season back? I don't think it works that way, even with magic. "

" _ A song to fix what's wrong, take what's broken, make it whole, a song so beautiful, it brings the world back into tune, back into time, when all the flowers will bloom... _ when you become my wife."

"Well, he for sure knows how to talk to women. Keith I think we found someone more socially awkward than you."

"So when you sing this song, spring will come again?" Eurydice, fully intrigued, stood up, pacing towards the stage, stopping just a few feet from Keith and Lance. 

"Yes, but it isn't finished. " Orpheus followed, fighting with his fingers. As Eurydice scrutinized him.

"Sing it, that is, if you want to take me home."

She replied cheekily, and Lance mentally gave her a high five. 

"Lance, let's just go, we’re wasting time-"

"Shhh, wait!" Lance placed a finger on Keith's mouth as he stared at Orpheus, who grabbed a guitar from the stage, a simple one, with only the letter 'O' engraved on the leather strap, and began strumming. Eurydice waited patiently, watching the boy carefully as he delicately plucked the strings.

_ "La la la la la la la…" _

Lance looked on, mouth agape, touched by the soft flow of Orpheus's voice. Even Keith watched with awe. 

" _ La la la la la la la…" _

The strum on the guitar got stronger as Orpheus gained confidence, voice raised and head tilted back as if he were singing for the heavens. 

Suddenly, a gust of warm air blew through the room, sending a chill down Lance's spine from the drastic change in temperature. The grey light of the morning turned amber and warm, encircling them in an arc of soft yellow light, as if it were the sun peaking out from behind the clouds. 

" _ La la la la la la la…" _

The gasp tore itself out of Lance's throat as he saw it, tendrils of delicate vines curling down from the ceiling, small blooms unfurling thin petals to reveal a gorgeous purple color. 

He reached out, lighting tapping one of the flowers, and yes, they were real. The vines latched on to his finger, and began to snake around it in an almost playful manner, and Lance couldn't help the grin that split his face.

" _ La la la la la la…"  _

As the light music that hugged Orpheus's voice crescendoed, and the boys voice faded away, Lance noticed a carnation appear in his hands, and he handed the bloom to an awed Eurydice, who had her own flowers blooming at her feet, white lillies delicately shivering in the balmy wind.

And, just as they had arrived, the flowers and wind faded, bringing them back to the cold winter of the room, which seemed even colder now after the miracle that just happened. Lance turned to Keith, about to say something, when a flower in the black paladin's own hands gave him pause. 

A blood red carnation, so perfect that it seemed fake. Just like the one Eurydice now held. 

"Is that-" Lance reached to touch the flower, fascinated as to why, just like Orpheus's flower, it remained even after the song ended. 

When his fingers finally brushed the soft petals, Lance became keenly aware of Keith's eyes on him, and he looked up to see the paladin watching him intently. His heart thudded in his chest as his eyes traced Keith's face, the flushed cheeks and the intense stare, and finally, looked at his lips, slightly parted, small clouds of white coming out from where his warm breath intermingled with the cold air. 

"Lance…"

He didn't know what it was in the others voice that made him aware of just how close the two were standing, and Lance stepped back, turning around quickly to conceal the blush spreading on his face, heart pounding so loud that he was sure everyone in the room could hear it, nerves alight as he berated himself on his actions. 

"Sorry…" he managed to mumble out, looking at Orpheus and Eurydice, both of them wearing gentle looks on their faces as they talked quietly, and Lance gave the scene a bittersweet smile. 

They were in love. 

It should have made Lance happy. And it did, but there was a deeper, melancholy feeling inside him that slowly crept through his body.

"Hey, uhm, you can have the flower. I'm not really into them."

The carnation appeared over his shoulder, and Lance turned, Keith looking at him with slight indifference as he held out the bloom. While the gesture was kind, it made Lance feel even worse, but nevertheless he smiled and took the flower. 

"Thank you."

They stood in awkward silence for a moment, before Keith cleared his throat. 

"We should go get the lions."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right. Let's go do...that."

As the duo walked towards the door, Keith stopped at the coat rack, taking two wool coats from the pile, handing one to Lance. “Heremes gave these to us earlier.”

Lance gratefully took the coat, slinging it on and placing the carnation in the front breast pocket, giving Keith a small smile as the paladin took note of the action. 

There was a huge gust of cold air that greeted them as soon as they opened the door and they set on, the cold white sun of winter peaking out above the mountains. 

As Keith took the lead, Lance touched the flower, holding back the emotion that threatened to spill out from him as he thought of Keith, and the flower he had given him.

The red carnation was love, it was admiration. Lance remembered when his father would bring his mother home the beautiful red bloom, Lance so in love with it that he begged his father to bring him one as well. When he did, Lance kept it in a jar beside his bedside table, only to cry the next morning when it had wilted and petals furled into a dark red, almost black.

How easy it must have been for Keith to give it to him without knowing the meaning. He didn’t know how much the action meant to Lance, or how much it hurt him. 

When his father was taken from him, Lance also found out the flower had another meaning, one that stuck out from the back of his mind when he saw the bloom, a painful type of irony for Orpheus that only Lance seemed to know, and he prayed that they would be able to solve this world's problems before it came to this. 

Because the red carnation also meant death. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo, finally i update this story (after low-key forgetting about it's existence) .
> 
> Idk if its my creative spirit or my depression talking, but this story is just really hard to write. 
> 
> (its my depression lol, every time i listen to Hadestown the muses scream at me to write this. I think im just too sad to write most of the time.)
> 
> That being said, updates and editing for Respira is slowly, but surely happening. Its taking a bit out of me to read back through the chapter and cringe, but ya know, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.
> 
> I also posted a story for Lance's birthday, probably one of my happier fics that i've written in a while, so go check that one out if you havent!
> 
> I'm working on some fun projects for y'all as well, so I'll update you on those as they progress. 
> 
> thank you so much for reading, and please let me know your thoughts, opinions, feelings, or questions in the comments. I love reading them, and honestly, they give me a drive to keep writing. It just makes me feel special uwu.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and see you soon!
> 
> -SmStF
> 
> Twitter: @eternateaa  
> Instagram: @eternateaa


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